1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic holders for knives or similar objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been previous inventions of magnetic holders for knives or similar objects, but none that are equivalent to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,439, issued on Jan. 15, 1980, to William W. Bell, discloses a utensil and tool holder, that retains knives (and other utensils or tools) on magnetic strips that hang from a bracket. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it uses disk-shaped magnets that are enclosed in non-magnetic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,810, issued on May 29, 1984, to Merrill R. Miller, discloses a magnetic tool holder, having a pair of plates with a magnetic bar sandwiched between the plates. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it uses several disk-shaped magnets, rather than a single bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,102, issued on Apr. 30, 1991, to Walter J. Kiefer, discloses a magnetic knife holder, having disk-shaped magnets covered top and bottom by a cowling having a curved entry to guide the knife to the magnets. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the magnets are embedded in a wooden board, and the knives are retained on the surface of the board.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,822, issued on Apr. 12, 1994, to Edward S. Coleman and Richard Scalise, discloses a magnetic tool holder, having a single elongated magnet, rather than several disk-shaped magnets as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,313, issued on Jun. 10, 2003, to Kung Cheng Chen, discloses a structure for firmly resting tools thereon, with a magnetic sheet, rather than several disk-shaped magnets as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,303, issued on Sep. 30, 2003, to Peter Moodie, discloses a magnetic presentation and display board, with two pairs of magnets for retaining various articles, including in each magnet pair a magnet on the exterior surface of the board, and a magnet embedded in the board. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is an elongated board with a single magnet for holding each knife, with every magnet embedded in the board, and dowels to mark the location of the magnets.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,155, issued on Apr. 13, 2004, to Ching-Tsung Chang, discloses a magnetic tool rack made of plastic, in which rectangular magnets are embedded. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is a wooden board in which disk-shaped magnets are embedded, with dowels to mark the location of the magnets.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,672, issued on Jul. 11, 2006, to Steven Sholem, discloses a tool organizer system, having a flat sheet of magnetically attracted material, rather than a board with embedded magnets as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,079, issued on Feb. 6, 2007, to Hsuan-Sen Shiao, discloses a magnet rack that can be easily removed from a magnetically attractive surface. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is a wooden board with disk-shaped embedded magnets.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 338,583, issued on Aug. 24, 1993, to John Esposito, Jr., discloses a design for a magnetic toothbrush support assembly. The toothbrushes appear to be retained by a single magnet, rather than several disk-shaped magnets as in the instant invention.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0130231, published on Sep. 19, 2002, to Stanley D. Winnard, discloses a method and apparatus for securing non-ferrous objects, using magnetic plates, rather than disk-shaped magnets as in the instant invention.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0175131, published on Nov. 28, 2002, to Alan L. Johnson, discloses a magnetic cutlery rack, with a backboard and a series of horizontal stop ledgers. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it there is a single elongated board on which the knives are retained vertically, and the magnets are embedded in the board, with their positions indicated by dowels.
British Patent No. 2 389 031, published on Dec. 3, 2003, inventors Paul Prelstman, Caroline Casey and Chris Parker, discloses a magnetic knife holder, having a plurality of magnets spaced apart in locations inside and along the length of a holder. Knives can be retained vertically on the horizontal holder. The instant invention is distinguishable in that it is formed from an elongated piece of wood that is sawed apart, drilled, and glued back together, with the magnets retained in the drilled holes, and the position of the magnets indicated by dowels.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.